Now that summer is packing its bags and leaving, maintenance considerations for the upcoming season are hopefully on your mind. You’ve been barricading your home against the summer heat, but now you need to prepare for dropping temperatures. With this fall home maintenance checklist, you can know what improvements you need to make before winter arrives.
Insulation: Hopefully, your home is already insulated. Your power bill wouldn’t survive the Alabama heat otherwise; however, if it’s been several years, it won’t hurt to check inside your attic in case the insulation has deteriorated or grown mold.
- Replace or add more insulation where necessary.
- Add insulation to water pipes and plumbing lines to prevent freezing over the winter.
Gutters and chimneys: Another task to cross off your fall home maintenance checklist is tending to your gutters, which can build up dead leaves and block drainage off the roof. You should also check your chimney, where creosote (byproducts of burning wood) can accumulate and result in a chimney fire.
- Clean gutters using a ladder and a plastic scoop to dump debris into a trash bag.
- Unclog hard-to-get spaces in the gutter using a plumbing snake, pressure washer, or a stick.
- Sweep chimneys of soot. You may need to contact a professional chimney sweeper.
Doors and windows: If you haven’t already, making your doors and windows winter-proof is an important step in the fall home maintenance checklist.
- Weather strip doors and windows, or replace old weather stripping.
- Caulk any unnecessary openings between the interior and exterior of your home.
Home safety: Other imperative maintenance tasks include preparing your home for safety as other appliances, such as your furnace, kick in.
- Replace batteries and ensure your fire and carbon monoxide detectors are working.
Other tips: Some less involved fall home maintenance checklist tasks include:
- Replace or add energy efficient light bulbs if needed.
- Sweep lawn of dead leaves before a mucky build-up occurs.
- Turn off and cover outdoor plumbing to avoid freezing pipes.
- Perform any outdoors chores you’ve been planning to do all summer before it gets too cold!
- Wipe down patio furniture and store if unneeded during the winter.
- Assess your winter equipment and ensure you have what you need for the colder months.
With this fall home maintenance checklist, you can get your home prepped for colder weather, when doing some of these tasks may be impossible or unpleasant. For more home maintenance tips, continue following the Ryan Roberts Realtor blog! For your home buying needs in Auburn, Opelika, and Lake Martin, contact Ryan Roberts at 334-750-9872 or email [email protected]!
